My personal suggestion is to never put any money down on a lease as it gets you nothing. You have no interest in the asset. Further, you are out that cash should the car be a total loss very early on.

For example, put down 5K to lower payments, that is great. Kia covers
GAP on the lease. Drive off the lot and total the car on day 2. Insurance company gonna pay off the
GAP to Kia. Good luck getting your 5K back at that point.

Keep the 5K and draw it down over time to assist with monthly payments. Also keeps the money liquid for unknown items that pop up. Better yet, invest it and let it earn you money while you draw it down.

Did the dealership recommend a minimum amount or did you just tell them right from the start what you were putting down? Also, when you were negotiating the price Stinger's price, did you tell them you would be leasing or waited until you got your price??

Looking at getting a 2019 GT2 AWD as soon as I find one in my color and options. Just curious what the average person put down on their Stinger lease?

It's been a while since I leased so I don't remember what I put down but I know it wasn't much or maybe it was nothing, no clue.

I have no plans to do the "lease then immediately buy" move, I'm sure in 3 years I'll want the next fun toy that catches my eye.

BTW, I'm in Massachusetts,

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Its been a while but I used to sell cars here in FL. I completely second Mach_tuck’s statement and DONT put money down on a lease unless you absolutely have to. First payment only, and maybe TTT if required.

I could give a long detailed explanation but will try to keep it short. The main purpose of a lease is simply to get a more expensive car for a significantly smaller monthly payment.

This is achieved by basically paying to rent the car for the first 24-48m term instead of paying for the whole vehicle. Since you’re not building equity to own it putting any money down on a lease is essentially a waste.

You may put money down as ”capital cost reduction” to lower the monthly payments, but if the lease payment is too high with $0 down then you’re probably over budget anyway.

Here’s a tip to get a very general idea of vehicle cost vs monthly payments for basic financing. 60m@$20-25/m per $1000 financed. $50k=About $1000/m with standard interest. Leases are much more difficult to determine, but one easy way to compare is using lease calculators. Most manufacturers websites have their own and I was able to use Kia’s to get within $30/m of my actual OTD on my GT2. Here’s an example of a 2019 GT2 for 60m finance vs 48m lease both with $0 down.
Financing is typically 50% more monthly than leasing so you can get a lot more car for the money even with $0 down.

This will give you an idea of what you can budget for a lease without having to put money down on a “rental”.

My only out of pocket was first payment and $179 registration, but still got my 2018 GT2 for about $550m+tax!

I like the idea of getting credit card points for the downpayment knowing you'll payoff immediately.

I put $0 down and will buy it out within 3mos (have an appointment next week - you have to do it at a dealer in PA...). I agree with the others, you don't want to put any money down if you can help it on a lease. Only exception is if you buy it out soon after, then it's a wash

I like the idea of getting credit card points for the downpayment knowing you'll payoff immediately.

I put $0 down and will buy it out within 3mos (have an appointment next week - you have to do it at a dealer in PA...). I agree with the others, you don't want to put any money down if you can help it on a lease. Only exception is if you buy it out soon after, then it's a wash

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If you planned to buyout the whole time, did you say "10,000" or annual miles when you set up lease? It looks like it would save a little in monthly payment.

I like the idea of getting credit card points for the downpayment knowing you'll payoff immediately.

I put $0 down and will buy it out within 3mos (have an appointment next week - you have to do it at a dealer in PA...). I agree with the others, you don't want to put any money down if you can help it on a lease. Only exception is if you buy it out soon after, then it's a wash

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absolutely use a credit card for a down payment, I think just about every dealership will take one. I put 5k on my 2% cashback card, free gas for.... 2 weeks

If you planned to buyout the whole time, did you say "10,000" or annual miles when you set up lease? It looks like it would save a little in monthly payment.

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I planned to go the full 36 months. Then I joined this forum and saw @Mach_Tuck's buyout thread (it's still the longest one). Lease then Buyout - Contract Explanation And I comprehended enough to change my mind and buyout. My original annual miles was set at the max of 15K. (Heh! obviously not enough by more than a skosh, since I already have c. 13K after less than eight months in.) That raised my monthly payment from c. $550 to over $600. I made two monthly payments after the initial payment; and estimated that taking that long to buyout cost me c. $400; but I saved well over $4,000 by not paying 33 more months on the lease.